talkiet

Interestingly that site (nissan-epc-data) doesn't include the Skyline Crossover Japanese variant... I can find the major chassis code in the EU section (j50) under infiniti EX35/37, but can't find the right spec. Just interesting in that it's definitely not complete. Cheers - N

I phoned an aircon place this morning and described the symptoms in detail... The guy said that his first guess was the bearings either badly on the way out or actually locked solid. Hopefully it hasn't blown up the entire pump... I'm dropping the car off in the morning and for the sake of completeness I'll update when I have a diagnosis Cheers - N

Down in Christchurch... I'll take it to a specialist Aircon place I think instead of Nissan and try mu luck that way. Cheers - N

Ouch - just had a look at the cost of a new compressor from Japan... $900 USD excluding the clutch, $280 for the clutch. I wonder if I could get incredibly lucky and it just be the clutch that has failed? Cheers - N

Thanks for that... It was only the last of the three events where I saw smoke and the other 2 were definitely still producing some AC - it was pretty clear there was some movement in the compressor - it was slipping, not seized... It may we have completely seized now though with the last one. I'll throw it at a professional tomorrow and hope for the best - thanks for the quick confirmation I'm probably on the right track at least. Cheers - N

I have a 2009 Skyline crossover (370GT) and yesterday I was happily driving along with the airconditioning on and the car seemed to hiccup a couple of times and as I pulled up to a red light it stalled... I restarted the car and immediately heard a strange noise that sounded like (for some reason) the AC compressor? I flicked the Aircon off and the noise immediately stopped and the car carried on fine... Pulled off onto a quiet road and with the car sitting still in park, I turned the AC on again... There was a cyclic noise, a bad noise - and the engine revs dropped significantly in time with the bad (graunchy) noise - every 3-4 seconds... Turned the Aircon off and drove home with no issues at all. I popped open the bonnet today and turned the engine on (again, in Park) and no issues - but when I turned the AC on, it again made a horrible noise... By the time I got out of the car and around to the front to look and see if I could see anything (fat chance with how tightly it's all packed in) there was smoke coming up from the front of the engine. Dived back inside and killed the engine of course. The smoke was not oil smoke - it smelled acrid - like burning plastic or rubber. Does this sound like a toasted/seized AC compressor? If that's the case, what am I up for? New compressor, system recharge and possibly a new accessory belt + some labour? What else might it be? I'm probably going to take it in tomorrow to have someone look at it but if there's a common failure or conventional wisdom on this then I'd love to be prepared. I'd hate to think what may have happened if I hadn't noticed the noise and turned off the aircon within 4-5 seconds of noticing the noise/smell each of the 3 times it happened.... It took no time at all to generate significant amounts of smoke. (FWIW - I do have a fire extinguisher in the car beside the spare wheel and one on the wall of the garage about 5 metres from where I was standing) Cheers - Neil G

get a V36 370GT. near enough to 350HP standard. Spend money on new wheels, better tyres, maybe brakes and you're done. Cheers - N

I _finally_ could be bothered to take a decent photo of my stock standard 370GT Crossover (Infiniti EX37)... This was the first time I have tried using a softbox to shoot a car and although I only had 5 minutes to get the shot I think it worked out well... There was also some messy photoshopping to get rid of the lines from where I was moving the softbox. I'll do a cleaner one the next time the car is clean and the night is clear... [edit - ergh - realised I didn't even clean the wheels or tyres. Ugh. Definitely re-doing this in the weekend if the weather is clear] Cheers -N

Check the front lower control arm bushes. Very common on V36s and on the sister infinities... You won't be able to see wear in the bush but if you glide slowly (slow slow walking pace) and jam on the brakes you might see the wheel jump back an inch or more (towards the rear of the car)... This is wear in the LCA bushes. Unfortunately if it is this then it's not cheap - they don't sell the bushes separately and you are up for two new LCAs. I just did mine at a cost (NZD) of $1700ish. For what it's worth I was a little skeptical before but it noticably improved steering and braking. Cheers - N

Oh it will work the way you say but I'll miss the steering wheel next track buttons, and the actual quality through the AV input was rubbish when I last used it. The main issue is the no video while moving and that doesn't look too easy to solve. Cheers -N

Heh - I put a mirrorlink unit in my car as well for similar $$$ but then like an idiot noticed that the video screen is locked out when moving :-( Should have checked that first I guess :-) Plus the bluetooth integration with the built in headunit is now perfect (was flaky until an android update stabilised it a few months ago) so I wouldn't want to have to use the Audio input of the AV (to use mirrorlink for GPS and also have music and podcasts by phone)... Yes I could add a bluetooth bridge and put that into the audio inputs - in fact I did, but it's not as good as the built in bluetooth. And to my knowledge it's not possible to runthe video input at the same time as the main head unit sound... If it was I would probably look into somehow making the mirrorlink system work while moving. Cheers - N

Chuckle. I'm not sure what they think a "complicated install" is but I wouldn't class it as such. probably 2-3 hours work if you know how to disassemble the dash and get the existing unit out. Even being charitable and hoping they use an RGB input (their photos look like ugly composite video input) it's not that hard. Seems like a _LOT_ of labour to charge to install an approx $450 NZD device. Cheers - N

It'll be something like this. http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Navigation-Reverse-View-Camera-Interface-system-For-Regal-SRX-Park-Avenue-Opel-Astra-J-and-Opel/32464813367.html?spm=2114.10010108.100009.9.myYpDw

Ugh... Looks like they just use the AV inputs to connect an external device. I tried that and the quality was horrible. (Both audio and video) - plus there was no touchscreen - perhaps they also stick an overlay on... If it is this solution though, then their pricing is batsh1t insane. Cheers - N

Hmmm... Perhaps yours is different. For mine there are definitely TWO auto modes. "D" and "DS"... Here's a photo... From top it's standard Auto mode (D), then Sports Auto (DS) when I flick the stick to the right, and then manual first gear (1M) when I push it forward once.

Just flick it across from left to right and then DON'T use the tiptronic - it's already in a sports auto mode. Cheers - N

YES PLEASE! More voice commands, complete with phonetic pronunciation guide please... I can switch between Bluetooth and USB, but only because they are basically English :-) Cheers -N

I recently bought a mint 1990 SRX SIr (Had one 20 years ago and regretted selling it ever since) and drove it back home about 800k... It threw a warning light at me a couple hundred K into the trip and I didn't recognise the light so stopped and searched for what it was... Sure it enough it was the Cat temperature warning light! Still had a Catalytic converter! I knew the car was original but that's ridiculous! Cheers - N ps. No, I have no idea if the Skylines have one

Yep - Cruise control frustrates me as well that it only goes to 110!... I hate to suggest you may not have noticed this but you do know that if you knock the selector right into tiptronic mode but don't then choose to use the tiptronic that it goes into a much sharper auto mode? As for your final point - I'm gutted that there's clearly a software upgrade available for these units to convert from Japanese to English, and they are DEFINITELY a dodgy (copied / hacked) solution yet there are a very small number of places charging lunatic money for this... In NZ there's only one place (and it's a thousand K away in the other island) and they wanted $1600 last time I asked. $1600 for a SW upgrade. I'm sure the upgrade will escape into the wild the same day I buy my next car. Cheers - N

I have a 2009 370GT Crossover here in NZ and it's incredible. I got the one with _ALL_ the toys (Radar cruise, lane departure warnings and avoidance, Intelligent Brake Assist, the birdseye (Aroundview) view camera system) type P package with Leather and heated seats etc. I enjoy driving (one of my other cars is a Lotus 7 replica that I race a bit) and the crossover is exceptionally good for its size. Far far better than the RAV4 it replaced. Downsides? I only got the RWD version - wish I had held out for the AWD... The RWD is _BAD_ on loose surfaces. Too much power, too little traction, too much weight and the VDC is overly aggressive. It's not very big inside considering how large it is overall... The front LCA bushes are a weak spot (actually weak on the V36s as well) and you can't get the bushes by themselves - it's new Lower Control Arms at $600 NZD each... Apart from that I love it. It's fast, comfortable and got all the toys. I am still upset that the English conversion is a closely guarded secret hack that is clearly available but wildly overcharged for... I have learnt some of the Japanese instructions but would love an English conversion. The 2013 models look even nicer - a few little upgrades but mostly in the trim (sunroof) and Blindspot warning type areas. Enjoy! New Zealand is a lot easier to import and comply... I got mine from Japan and compliance was straightforward - no changes required although I replaced the battery and tyres after I took delivery. Cheers - N

I had shuddery brakes on my 370GT Crossover (J50) and just had them machined (along with new lower control arms - don't ask!) and the shimmy is completely gone. Didn't even get new pads. Cheers - N

Thanks... Seems I don't have anything like that... Must be hidden in the Japanese settings in the main screen somewhere :-( Cheers - N

Can you post a pic of the switch please? My Skyline Crossover (J50) has the same feature but it's no longer doing it for me either and I can't see a button. Cheers - N

Nope... EX was the Skyline Crossover.. (I have one - Nissan 370GT Skyline Crossover).. It's the same as the Infinit EX37 (3.7l V6) Cheers - N

The screen that's not factory is an external Miracast box which can have an android phone mirrored to it. Most of them just use the AV inputs so are pretty bad quality wise - and if you don't have the handbrake bypass then you can't have Nav from your phone onscreen while driving. I still can't believe that there's a software upgrade available to convert to English that's basically pirating and it's so closely controlled and costs a fortune. So frustrating. Cheers - N